|| 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 : 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 || ✓

Chapter 9

The Silent Abyss of Separation

Zhan strolled towards the school gate, spotting his best friends and Yibo. He approached them with a warm greeting, "Morning, guys."

"Morning, Zhan! Where were you yesterday after school?" Hao Xuan asked, his curiosity piqued. Yibo, on the other hand, concealed his pain, trying to ignore the haunting scene he witnessed the day before while walking down the street.

"Yeah, you never go without us. What happened?" Jiang Cheng chimed in with interest. Zhan nervously smiled, replying, "Just met an old friend of mine. We decided to catch up at the café. Nothing much."

Zhan thought it was not the best timing to delve into Ziyi with his friends right now. He didn't want Yibo to learn about his painful past. If he mentioned Ziyi, his friends would become overprotective and might not even give him a chance to explain his decisions.

Suddenly, Zhan was startled by two arms wrapping around him from behind. "Good morning, Zhan!" Ziyi pulled away, smiling at him.

His best friends stood frozen, silently questioning why this girl was here. Zhan mentally facepalmed at Ziyi's action.

"I'm screwed," he thought to himself.

Yibo averted his gaze, unable to bear watching any longer.

"Hey, Yibo!" Wenhen came running from behind, waving at Yibo. "Let's walk inside together?" he asked, and Yibo read his lips, immediately nodding in agreement. They walked together inside, leaving the others at the gateway.

"Okay, Zhan, what's going on? Why is SHE here?" Jiyang's voice held a tinge of anger, while Jiang Cheng and Hao Xuan glared at the girl. They couldn't believe that after everything she had put Zhan through, she had the audacity to come back and act as if nothing had happened. Memories flooded back to when Zhan had locked himself in his room, stopped eating for days, and refused to speak to anyone.

It was heart-wrenching to see him so broken. It had been a challenge for them to make him understand that she didn't deserve him and that he would find someone better. They could never forget everything he had gone through when she left him.

Ziyi, surprised by their reaction, offered a sad smile.

"Zhan, I just had some work and happened to be passing by, so I decided to say hello. Don't forget about our meeting this evening though; I've got to go now. See you," she said, walking away toward her car.

"Uh, guys, I'll explain everything. Let's go inside now," Zhan said, trying not to panic as his friends seemed visibly upset with him.

  

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When they all entered the classroom and settled into their seats, the teacher arrived a few minutes later, and the class had already begun. Zhan had intended to discuss everything with Yibo during break time, but something was troubling him at that moment.

Yibo, who usually sat beside him, didn't even spare a glance at him today. Not once did he speak to Zhan. This behavior bothered Zhan, so he decided to send Yibo a text.

Hey Yibo.

Yeah, Zhan?

Are you okay? You haven't really spoken to me today... Did I do something wrong?

Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry. I'm just feeling a bit under the weather today, that's all.

If you want, I could take you to the nurse's room. You could rest a bit.

Thanks, but you don't have to. I'm feeling okay.

Oh okay

After putting away their phones, Yibo focused on his notes while Zhan felt disappointed with Yibo's responses. Yibo seemed to be giving him the cold shoulder, which Zhan noticed. He wondered if he was just overthinking things, so he decided to concentrate on the teacher's lecture instead of dwelling on it.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was break time. Jiyang pulled Zhan out of his seat as soon as the bell rang, with the others following behind. Yibo, on the other hand, was whisked away by Wenhan, who was eager to have lunch with him.

Yibo didn't resist and went along with Wenhan, not wanting to overhear what Zhan might say to his friends. He felt there was a long history between Zhan and the girl who had returned. Knowing that Zhan seemed to love her too, Yibo felt he had no chance with Zhan now. He didn't want to interfere with their relationship and decided to hide his feelings, attempting to move on as quickly as possible. Though it would be difficult, he had no choice but to distance himself from the person he loved. He didn't want to be selfish and force Zhan to reciprocate his feelings. Instead, he would wait until Zhan was ready to share everything, but from that day forward, he would keep his distance. It was for his own good.

 

"So you'd better explain why the fuck Ziyi is back, and why are you meeting her this evening? We planned to go to the arcade, don't you remember, Zhan?" Jiyang's tone was laced with anger as they all sat together.

Zhan sighed, "Guys, listen to me first. I know my actions might seem unreasonable to you, but please hear me out. I no longer have feelings for her. I've moved on from my past, and I'm genuinely happy now. I'm grateful for everything you all have done for me.

But Ziyi... she's going through a tough time. I understand what she put me through was terrible, but we should try to leave the past behind and move forward. She wants to reflect on her mistakes. She's the same girl who used to make me smile when I was down, who took care of me when I felt like giving up on myself. Everyone deserves a chance to learn from their mistakes and grow. Ziyi has returned for that reason. She's trying desperately to overcome her fears and become a better person.

I'm not giving her a chance to win my love back. I'm giving her a chance to let go of the past so we can both be free and move forward. She's leaving for her business next week, so she wants to spend some time with me before she goes. I hope you all understand where I'm coming from. You know I wouldn't put myself in a situation that I didn't think was right for me."

There was a moment of silence as Zhan's friends absorbed his words. They recognized the maturity in his decision, even if they still felt it was too late for Ziyi's apologies. They chose not to argue with Zhan, though they hoped Ziyi wouldn't try to come between Zhan and a certain boy they knew he cared for deeply—the one who stirred such strong emotions in Zhan, the one who could make Zhan happy and give him the love he deserved.

"Okay, just don't do anything stupid that might ruin everything for you. We hope you won't regret this, Zhan," Jiang Cheng spoke, with Hao Xuan and Jiyang nodding in agreement.

"I won't. Thank you all for being there for me. I... love you all," Zhan said, embracing Jiang Cheng.

"Oh?!! Did Zhan just say he loves us?! Omggg, I should've recorded it!" Hao Xuan dramatically exclaimed.

"Shut up!" Zhan pulled away, wiping his tears, feeling flustered.

"Aww, but it's true. It's rare for you to be so open with your feelings," Jiyang joined in the teasing.

Jiang Cheng laughed at their banter, and they all began to enjoy their lunch. "I hope you could say that to a certain someone too..." Jiang Cheng muttered to himself.

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